The Secrets of America's Ten Slimmest Cities

With so much obesity in America, those places where people obstinately remain skinny are like exotic oases in a fat, fat desert. Gallup has recently released a poll that identifies the ten least obese cities in the nation, most of which are in Colorado and California. I'm sure many out there are wondering: What's their secret?

The title of the poll's write-up gives away the gist of it: "Good Health Habits the Norm in Slimmest U.S. Metro Areas." It appears that the big secret is just as humdrum as you might expect — plenty of exercise, lots of fruits and vegetables, consistent healthy eating. But even so, there are still some interesting lessons to be learned here.

First of all, a key indicator of low obesity in a community is access to a safe place to exercise. At least half of the residents in these skinny cities reported exercising for a minimum of 30 minutes at least three days each week, and they by and large report having a safe place to get down to it. Regular exercise, after all, is feat that's much easier to accomplish when you like where you've got to run or bike or swim. So if you want good health, make that a priority in choosing where to rent or buy your next domicile.

Another key, unsurprisingly, is having good access to fresh fruits and vegetables. In fact, I would venture to guess that having a lot of money sure doesn't hurt in the quest to avoid obesity. Also, health insurance: The percentage of people in these places who have health insurance is uniformly in the 80s and 90s.

Does this make you curious about what the country's ten most obese cities are? Look no further: Another Gallup poll tallies those, all of which count about one third of their residents as obese, significantly higher than the 26.5 percent national average.

Photo by jaylopez via stock.xchng.